


Stand by You

by bitsnbobs



Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: Aaron 'the step-dad', Family, Future Fic, Gen, Love, M/M, Support, THE baby is now a teenager, positive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 17:38:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11318358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitsnbobs/pseuds/bitsnbobs
Summary: Rachel is so like her dad, Robert Sugden. If someone insults Aaron, she will fight back.





	Stand by You

“I don’t want to talk to anyone,” Rachel stated angrily.

“I know,” Aaron said, not at all bothered by the teenager’s attitude as he closed the door of the cricket pavilion behind him.

“So, go away!” Rachel shouted, “Leave me alone!”

Aaron shrugged, “No.”

“Aaron!” Rachel was almost shaking. She wrapped her hands round her middle, “I’m not going back there.”

“You’ll have to at some point.”

“I’m not,” Rachel spat, “I’ll just- I’ll just stay here.”

Aaron snorted and looked around at the bare surroundings. He was then hit with a memory and smirked. 

“What?” Rachel narrowed her eyes at him, “You don’t think I would?”

“No,” Aaron sighed, running a hand down his face, “I think you are capable of a lot of things but you should know that me and your dad…you know…here.” He took great delight in the way Rachel’s face screwed up in disgust,

“Oh, I don’t want to know that,” she grimaced, eyes darting around the room as though afraid of seeing evidence.

“Relax,” Aaron laughed, “It was a while ago now.”

“Still,” Rachel wrinkled her nose, “I don't want to know about you two having…doing that.”

Aaron rolled his eyes, but since the tension in the room had lessened, he took the opportunity to move closer to the teen, to get back to the topic at hand, “Look, Rachel-"

“I didn’t mean to send it,” the young girl was immediately on the defensive.

“I think you did.”

“No, it was an accident.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Aaron.”

“Rachel.”

“I don’t know why you are angry! I was trying to stick up for you!”

The truth. Finally. Aaron smiled sadly, looking at the young girl in front of him with a mixture of pride and frustration, “You don’t need to.”

“I just-" Rachel bit her bottom lip, “I don’t like him.” Tears had started forming in her eyes and Aaron was immediately there to wrap her into a hug, “He said some horrible things.” It was barely a whisper into Aaron’s chest. 

“It’s nothing I haven’t heard before, kid,” Aaron commented, although he felt a huge sense of warmth that the young girl had tried to defend him. 

Rachel pulled away from him, a determined look on her face, “It doesn’t make it right though.”

“No,” Aaron had to agree, but he titled his head, “Still, I think sending an email to his workplace was-"

“It was the least he deserved,” Rachel stated, defiant, “They shouldn’t want such a bigoted, narrow-minded arsehole working for them.”

Aaron blinked, suddenly feeling like he was trying to talk to Robert and not his daughter. They were too alike sometimes. “What I am trying to say, is that it was perhaps taking things too far.”

Rachel stared at him for a moment but eventually she relented, her shoulders folding in on themselves, “Mum hates me, doesn’t she?”

“She is angry, right now, yeah,” Aaron admitted, “But she could never hate you.”

“I’ve made such a mess,” Rachel cried, burrowing herself back into Aaron’s chest. 

He positioned his chin atop her head, “We can sort it.”

“I love you,” Rachel said.

Aaron smiled, “I love you too.”

The teen tilted her head upwards so she could see his face, “You’ll always be my favourite step-dad.”

“Well,” Aaron chuckled, “The competition hasn’t exactly been great.”

Rachel turned up her nose, “I’ve got no idea how my mum manages to pick such losers.” Then she realised something, “Not that my dad is a loser. Was a loser. Not that they were ever-" she stopped and shoved Aaron’s shoulder as he laughed, “Shut-up.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Aaron protested, rubbing exaggeratedly at the spot where she’d hit him, “It’s not my fault your parents are complicated.” Rachel’s face fell and Aaron suddenly felt guilty, “Sorry, I shouldn’t-"

“No, Aaron,” Rachel interrupted him, “It’s not like I don’t know what they did. And-" She put up her hand when her step-dad looked about to interrupt, “And I know you always tell me that it’s in the past and everything but sometimes, especially after what Keith said, it does hurt to think about.” Aaron sucked in his lip and nodded. He didn’t really know what to say but it seemed Rachel wasn’t done, “You are amazing, you know? Dad talks about you like you are his world and well…I’m glad he found you. I love my mum- obviously- but even I can see that wouldn’t have worked.”

Aaron smiled and slung his arm around her shoulders, “I think you are amazing.” He placed a kiss to her forehead.

Rachel sighed, “Why can’t my mum find someone like you?”

“Oh kid,” Aaron sniffed, “I come with a whole set of my own complications.”

“You’re not Keith though, are you?” Rachel huffed, “Or Richard. He was a moron too.”

“Which one was Richard?” Aaron squinted, trying to remember, “Was he the one with the yacht?”

“No, that was Harry- he was a posh twa-"

“Oi, language,” Aaron poked her in the side and she smirked,

“Harry was the posh one,” Rachel amended, “Richard was the one who thought he knew better than my granddad and then lost him that deal.”

“Ah,” now Aaron remembered, “Your dad kind of enjoyed sorting that mess out though. He got to be at his smug business best.”

Rachel groaned, “Dad isn’t going to enjoy sorting this mess out.”

“I think he’ll understand,” Aaron ran a hand down her arm. In all honesty, Aaron was unsure about Robert’s reaction to this; he hadn’t had much chance to talk to him after they’d discovered Rachel had done a runner. All proper discussions going out of the window until she was found. 

All this had started when Keith, Rebecca’s new boyfriend, had a few too many in the pub and started to show his true colours. He had aired some particularly controversial views on people who had been in prison. An argument erupted. Heated and vicious. Robert wanting to protect his husband, Rebecca trying to defend her man until even she found it impossible. What none of them knew, is Rachel had heard every word and she decided to take matters into her own hands, sending an email…

Keith turned up and kicked off; he was ruined and he’ll never work again.

If Aaron was honest, he briefly thought it was husband who had taken revenge. A flash of the ruthless man he had once been. It made him feel simultaneously thrilled and disappointed; Robert was supposed to be passed that. 

But then, they found out it was Rachel. 

Rachel had stuck up for him. She’d gone about it in the complete wrong way- what teenager didn’t make mistakes- but she’d stuck up for her step-dad. And she’d done it in a way that her dad would probably be proud. If he wasn’t obliged to be angry with her as a parent. Aaron shook his head; he had his hands full with Robert and Rachel sometimes but he’d never felt as loved. 

“I have to go back, don’t I?” Rachel said, interrupting his thoughts. She looked resigned to the fact and Aaron smiled, 

“Yeah,” he said softly, “Come on,” he gave her a light push towards the door, “you’ve got this.”

Rachel rounded her shoulders and nodded, a twinkle in her eye, “Yeah, I mean, it’s not like I’ve crashed dad’s car.”

Aaron groaned, “I think your Auntie Liv will be paying for that mistake for the rest of her life.”

“I’ve never seen dad so angry,” Rachel snorted, “He was angrier than my mum when Auntie Chrissie ruined her favourite dress. And that was angry.” Aaron held the door open for the young girl and she walked through whilst continuing to talk until her step-dad pulled her back into a hug, “What’s this for?”

“Thank you,” Aaron breathed into her hair. 

Rachel gave him a squeeze, “I meant it. You are the best.”

…


End file.
